The Keep

by Bella Forrest

  Glancing through the shielded windows toward the keep, Alex’s mind turned back to his friends, back to those mages who weren’t hateful and terrible, but had stood by his side through all of this, and continued to stand there, despite the hopelessness they all felt.

  Checking that he had left everything exactly where he had found it and quickly removing the shields from the windows, Alex slipped out of the gatehouse, back into the night. He knew Caius wasn’t here, and probably wasn’t likely to come near the keep after Julius’s visit. It had been something of a fool’s errand, and yet it had given him another idea, one that might just get them back on track. He needed to be more powerful; he needed to have the tools to take on Caius, if they did come face-to-face. Ellabell was right: Caius was too powerful for Alex to take on alone. But Alex knew that, with some help, he could try to match the old warden, at least enough to get him to part with information on the essence. That was all he needed—a way in. A way of eking the knowledge out of Caius’s brain. And he knew just the person he would have to ask.

  He paused for a moment, looking up at the sky overhead. The rain had stopped and the clouds had cleared, revealing the twinkling lights of a billion stars, burning brightly, so far away that many of them would already be dead by the time their light reached his eyes. In the star-scape, he could pick out the familiar shape of Orion. He wondered if his mother was looking up at the same moon and the same stars, thinking about him as he was thinking about her. It warmed him, his eyes taking in the silvery gleam of the moon, praying that its light would be the one that guided him back to her one day, granting him safe passage, like a lighthouse in a treacherous storm.

  Focusing his anti-magic in the same way he had on the journey in, he folded his energy inwards, feeling himself falling away as he envisioned the turret, feeding that into his mind as his destination. There was a whoosh of air around him, everything strange and rapid, before his body reappeared with a sharp crack. The return journey was a bumpier one, as he barely managed to land on the very far side of the turret, overshooting the center by a fair way, smacking hard into the wall, and almost going over the edge. Had it not been for Ellabell’s swift reflexes, her hand quickly reaching out to pull him back, he’d almost certainly have met a nasty death. It was higher here, and he knew he might not have been as lucky as last time.

  “In one piece?” she said, a relieved expression on her face.

  He nodded, checking himself. “I think so, though I might need a fresh pair of boxers,” he joked, flushing as he realized it might not be the kind of joke she’d find funny. The sound of raucous laughter pealing from her throat allayed his fears instantly.

  “Any run-ins?” she asked, recovering from her chuckling.

  “Nobody home,” he replied.

  “Did you find anything?”

  He shook his head. “Not much, but I’m going back out there as soon as I can.”

  “If you think that’s the right thing to do?” she said, her tone anxious.

  “I do… Come here,” he murmured, holding out his hands to her.

  Tentatively, she moved toward him, relaxing against him as he enveloped her in his arms. Each time they embraced, it felt easier, more natural, their mutual self-consciousness dissipating with practice. Beneath the dim moonlight that filtered in through the fog, he clutched her tightly, kissing her soft hair as she tucked her head beneath his chin.

  “Thank you for being here,” he whispered.

  Now that she was in his life, he couldn’t picture it without her, nor could he envision a time before her. Despite the misery of it all, there she was, a beacon of promise in the mire of his strange existence. He felt her hold on him tighten, her arms wrapping around him just that little bit tighter.

  “I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” she breathed against his shoulder.

  Chapter 16

  Alex parted ways with Ellabell after returning to the tower room, his mind set on finding Demeter. The auburn-haired man was not among those who had sought a sleepy refuge in their communal room. Wearily, Alex walked along the hallways toward the outside courtyard where they had first emerged from Stillwater House, hoping to find the ex-teacher there.

  To his utmost relief, he saw the familiar figure of Demeter staring up at the blank wall, his hands on his hips, talking quietly to himself.

  “Demeter?” Alex said quietly.

  Demeter jumped, turning sharply. “Alex! I nearly jumped out of my bones!”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

  “Shouldn’t you be asleep?” Demeter asked, a look of concern furrowing his brow.

  Alex shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep… not yet. There’s something I wanted to ask you.”

  “I won’t teach you,” the auburn-haired man said, before Alex could say a word.

  Alex frowned. “You don’t even know I was going to ask you to.”

  “I know you were going to ask me to, Alex. I’m good at reading people,” he replied.

  “You have to teach me,” Alex pressed.

  Demeter turned back to the wall. “It isn’t something that should be taught. I wouldn’t feel right, teaching you how to do what I can do.”

  “If you’re worried about me delving into dark magic, I already have some idea of how to manipulate life magic—I’m guessing it’s a short leap from that to manipulating the mind,” Alex said. “I’m the only one who can get beyond the barrier, and seeing as we don’t have many other options right now, I have to make sure I’m equipped to face Caius and get the information we need—I need to be able to do exactly what you were planning to do to him, if we caught him.”

  Demeter raised an eyebrow. “You can get beyond the barrier?”

  Alex nodded.

  “How do you know you can?”

  “Because I just tried it,” Alex replied brazenly.

  Demeter frowned. “That seems like a very reckless thing to do. What if you’d met Caius? What if he did something awful to you, and none of us were any the wiser?”

  “I had to try it,” said Alex quietly. “I had to keep our hope alive. Next time, with your help, I won’t be in such a vulnerable position,” he added, placing emphasis on the last sentence.

  Demeter sighed uncomfortably. “You can’t manipulate me, you know,” he said, half-amused.

  “I don’t want to manipulate you—I want you to teach me.” Alex grinned, knowing he was getting to Demeter.

  “Why would you want to learn something like this? It’s not something I’m entirely proud of, believe it or not. It’s not something anyone should be proud of,” he murmured.

  Alex looked Demeter dead in the eye. “Because I need the best weapons possible.”

  Demeter scrutinized his former student. Alex felt as if the man were sizing him up. After a lengthy pause, it seemed as if Demeter had come to a decision.

  “Fine,” he said, his voice dripping with reluctance, “but first, you get a full night’s sleep. No compromises. That’s the deal. Take it or leave it.”

  Alex smiled. “Deal.”

  “Don’t make me regret this.”

  Alex slept more deeply than he had since he was kid, his whole body shutting down into rest mode, needing it, savoring every moment. There were no dreams, no nightmares, just pure, unadulterated slumber. Even the fear of Alypia and Julius could not pierce the oblivion into which he fell.

  As soon as he awoke, he jumped straight out of bed and rushed to find Demeter, gulping down a meager breakfast and dressing quickly, but the ex-teacher was already waiting for him in the open expanse of the common room.

  “I had a feeling you’d be rising early this morning,” Demeter sighed.

  “I’m eager to learn,” Alex replied, smiling. “The sooner I master this, the sooner I can track the warden down.”

  Demeter grimaced. “Well, let’s not get behind ourselves, shall we? We’re going to need a more open space than this; it’s too enclosed here, and there are too many prying eyes.”

  They set of
f toward one of the larger turret rooms, where it was quiet and they would have more room to work. Alex wasn’t sure why they would need space for mind control, but he figured Demeter was the expert.

  As they walked, Alex’s curiosity got the better of him. It was rare that he had time alone with either of the professors, to ask questions, and now seemed like the perfect opportunity to delve a little into the life of Demeter.

  “Why does everyone always calm down so much around you?” he asked. “Is it because of what you can do?”

  Demeter shrugged. “There is a degree of sharing emotional states that comes with the skills I have. I am empathic, and I can affect those around me by radiating certain feelings. Sometimes I do it without even realizing,” he explained, with a look of amused surprise on his face. “I didn’t realize I’d been doing it around you all, but I see now that I must have been. It’s a habit of mine—I like people to feel at ease.”

  “It’s cool.”

  “It can be,” Demeter remarked, his reluctance still evident.

  Reaching the turret room, Alex was bursting with anticipation. The place where they had arrived, however, was not the most inspiring of classrooms. The windowless room was devoid of any furniture, save for two crisscrossed benches in the center, thrown in haphazardly to be stored, by the looks of it. Dark splotches stained the stone floor, the walls, and even the ceiling.

  “You’re sure you want to learn this?” Demeter asked, moving around the perimeter to light four torches that hung in rusted brackets.

  Alex nodded. “Absolutely.”

  “Very well. Come and stand in the center of the room,” Demeter instructed.

  Alex did as he was told, his eyes mesmerized by the torches’ dancing flames as Demeter moved to stand opposite him. No natural light filtered into the space. It almost felt like a room used for human sacrifice, or something equally ritualistic and dark. Patiently, trying not to let his nerves show, Alex waited for his next instruction.

  “I’m going to teach you the basics and instruct you as to how such magic might be inverted, to fit your particular skillset—I have some experience with Spellbreaker anti-magic, as you know,” Demeter explained, his voice taking on a teacher-like tone.

  Alex nodded.

  “First, I want you to place your palms on either side of my head, and then I want you to close your eyes.”

  Alex followed the commands, tentatively placing his palms flat against the sides of Demeter’s head. It felt strange to be so close to his former teacher, but he shrugged off the bizarreness, focusing instead on Demeter’s next direction.

  “I want you to, carefully, send your anti-magic into my mind. Once you’re in there, you need to seek out the glow of an emotion—any emotion, pick one. When you have, let me know. I should still be able to direct you, even when you’re inside my head.” He smiled, although it seemed forced. “Ready?”

  “Here goes nothing,” Alex murmured.

  Nervously, Alex wove the silvery black strands of his anti-magic beneath his hands and fed them slowly into Demeter’s skull. It was a peculiar sensation, like opening up a secret journal. It felt similar to following a spirit line—the sight that met him was certainly the same, floating through an endless blackness, though there were countless glimmering lights sparkling in the air all around him instead of one big one in the center. Alex wondered if they were the emotions Demeter had been speaking of, pulsing in the darkness of the former teacher’s mind.

  “Now, it will be easier with me, as I am permitting you inside my head—this would not be so easy on someone who doesn’t want you to see their thoughts.” Demeter’s voice came from somewhere in the room, disconnected from the person beneath Alex’s hands. “Have you found an emotion? It should glow dully, like a small bulb, flashing slightly. You should be able to feel it, if you can’t visualize it.”

  “I can see several,” said Alex confidently.

  “You can?” Demeter sounded surprised.

  “Like lots of stars, pulsing in your mind,” Alex explained.

  “Impressive—not many people can see them, only feel them,” said Demeter, the astonishment still clear in his voice. “So, now you need to pick one. Choose whichever one burns brightest and let your anti-magic flow into it—this should create something that resembles a ribbon. Grasp the ribbon, and focus your thoughts upon it, manipulating it to make me feel and do something different than what I might do of my own free will. Think of me like a puppet,” he instructed, his tone tinged with amusement.

  Alex did so, concentrating hard as he reached for a particularly bright orb of light that flashed over his invisible head. Carefully, he fed his anti-magic into the glow, watching as a ribbon of pure energy poured out toward him. Touching the edge of the ribbon, he knew instantly the emotion he had picked. A sudden wave of sadness coursed through him. It was frustrating not to be able to see the thoughts that came with the feeling, but the emotion was strong, wherever it had come from.

  Holding the glowing strand tightly, Alex pushed his own thoughts into it, flowing his energy along the line into the glowing center of the orb, augmenting the feeling projected through him. Steadily, the sadness gave way to a feeling of bubbling elation. Alex, on instinct, began to feed false memories and thoughts into the strand, alongside the pure waves of emotion, wanting to take away the sad sensation. He did not stop until there wasn’t a trace of the grief left.

  Demeter had gone silent.

  “Demeter, you there?”

  There was no response.

  Worried, Alex slowly coiled the strand of emotion back up, returning it to its former state, and removed himself from the starry mind of his former teacher, extricating himself with care. As Alex opened his eyes and took his hands away, he saw that Demeter was staring at him with tears in his eyes and a smile upon his lips, his shoulders shaking slightly.

  “Are you okay?” Alex asked, panicked.

  For a moment, Demeter said and did nothing, his body seemingly frozen to the spot. Alex didn’t know what to do to help, whether to shake him or nudge him or go and find someone who might be able to assist. And so, he waited. Gradually, the auburn-haired man came out of the trance he appeared to be in, thawing like ice.

  “I wasn’t expecting your strength,” he gasped, shaking off the last of it. “I could fight off most of your anti-magic collateral, but then you started feeding in new thoughts and visions, and my mind didn’t know what was going on. I think you gave me a Spellbreaker-induced brain freeze.” He laughed, but Alex could see a glint of fear in the man’s eyes.

  “I’m so sorry—I didn’t know what I was doing,” Alex said, feeling awful.

  Demeter shook his head. “No, don’t apologize. I should have prepared for it. Your instincts are faultless. There aren’t many who would have started by feeding in new memories to manipulate the mind, changing the one already there. I wonder if…” He trailed off, apparently thinking better of whatever he was about to say.

  “You wonder if what?”

  Demeter flashed an uncertain look at Alex. “Well, I was just… I thought perhaps it might have something to do with who you are. I mean, you’re incredibly strong—strong enough to take me by surprise, and there aren’t many who can do that, believe me.”

  “You mean my heritage?” Alex asked.

  “Well, yes… I wondered if… Do you happen to know anything about your forefathers?” Demeter asked shyly, clearly trying to hold back the academic excitement in his voice.

  Alex nodded. “Some.”

  “Oh, really? That’s excellent news! I might be able to help—do you have a name at all? There aren’t many Spellbreaker families I don’t know about, and I could probably give you some information on them if you know their surname—or their House name, as it was referred to back then.” He beamed, visibly thrilled at the prospect of hearing about Alex’s ancestors.

  Alex smiled. “I know who they are already. You might want to sit down or something—I hear he’s a pretty big deal,” he sa
id wryly.

  Demeter frowned. “Who is it?”

  “My several times great-grandfather was Leander of the House of Wyvern,” Alex said quietly, awaiting Demeter’s reaction.

  The ex-teacher did not disappoint. “No! This is a joke, isn’t it? Somebody’s put you up to this? Have they? No—you’re telling the truth? I can’t tell. Are you playing a trick?” he gasped, his eyes as wide as saucers.

  “It’s not a lie or a trick. Leander Wyvern was my ancestor,” Alex repeated, marveling at the way it sounded, out in the open air. With it came a whole world of family he had never known, and though none of them were still living, he felt their presence around him, crowding the room, bringing him a strange sense of peace as he thought of them. Throughout his life, it had been just him and his mom, with a few beautiful years with his grandparents—it felt odd to know there were so many more, whom he might have known had it not been for the powers that be. In his heart, he felt the familiar prickle of hatred, another layer of loss.

  “Well, good heavens! I wish I’d known sooner—I’ve read more stories about Leander Wyvern than you’ve had hot meals. I could have told you some,” Demeter enthused. “Oh, what a turn up for the books! Honestly, I can’t believe it. This is wonderful! Of all the Spellbreakers, it makes sense it would be his progeny that made it. That man was a walking, talking legend, in every sense of the word!”

  Alex smiled. “I haven’t heard too much about him, honestly, except that he was a bit of a Casanova.”

  “A bit! Goodness, there are stories about that man… which are much too inappropriate for your ears. But there are other stories, too! There is a myth that he once drank the whole Russian army under the table and ended up wrestling a bear and a pack of wolves with his bare hands. Others speak of him riding into battle on the back of the most beautiful Thunderbird imaginable. Her name was Tempest, with blue and silver feathers giving way to a tail of purest gold and white, able to spew ice from her beak and fly quicker than the wind. A gust from her vast wings would frost the grass on their arrival, freezing the air, letting everyone know he was coming. He was quite the showman in his day! Always liked to make an entrance.”